Would it be unkind of me to suggest that someone at the BBC has floated the idea of not showing the already-recorded 2025 series of Masterchef, to test the waters ? "John Torode and Gregg Wallace are back for an exhilarating journey to discover the UK’s best amateur cook", or not, according to the court of public opinion...
If it's not shown, who takes the financial hit ? Last year, it filled eight weeks of BBC1 prime time in April and May, with a mixture of hour and half hour shows. You didn't need to ask what was 'on' at 9pm for two months. Around 3m watched most episodes. I'd be interested in research on pub attendance during that period. I don't know the exact 'tariff' for this show, but 20 hours of factual primetime in the can costs upwards of £7m.
Banijay, the producers, are a big enough beast to be mentioned as possible buyers of ITV Studios. Will they stand for an accountants' row about whether or not they were supplying a flawed product, with an allegedly trouser-dropping host allowed to stay with the production ?
Is there anything to stop the Banijay/BBC doing a re-cut of the series, which removes GW? Sure, it would look a a little different. John Torode probably doing some voice overs to bridge the gaps. More from the contestants. That might even be a hit with the audience.
ReplyDeleteTo answer my own question: Yes, there is. Oh boy, what a mess.
Delete